Resilient Communities Project

Scott County is partnering with the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (RCP) to advance and implement key “resilience planning” recommendations coming out of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The County and University students and faculty are collaborating on more than a dozen multidisciplinary projects that advance community resilience, such as investigating self-serve libraries, planting edible landscapes, diversifying agricultural production, managing hazardous waste, improving early childhood education, fostering employer-assisted housing, increasing participation in rental-assistance programs, planning for autonomous vehicles, promoting active living, and investigating the cost of services in rural areas. Click here to review all of the research projects in Scott County.

What does the term "resilient communities" mean?

The 2040 Plan includes goals, policies and strategies that are intended to position Scott County to be more resilient in the face of rapid change. Resilient communities have the capacity to respond, adapt, and thrive after unforeseen shocks, changes or stresses to our social, economic, or natural systems. Do you have ideas on what would make Scott County more resilient? Speak Up, and share with us your ideas on our on-line town hall forum by clicking here.

RCP's End-of-Year Celebration on UM Campus is May 9, 2019

Students will be showcasing their Scott County research and projects from the entire 2018-19 academic year at a special event scheduled this spring on the UM campus. Click here for more details.

A New Chapter for Scott County Libraries

In Minnesota communities, libraries serve many needs—offering meeting space for local groups, community education classes, youth literacy programs, and WiFi-equipped public workspaces, to name a few. In Scott County, a relatively new concept known as "open libraries" seeks to revolutionize the role of libraries and expand accessibility for all users. As part of its spring 2019 partnership with the Resilient Communities Project, Scott County is collaborating with students at the University of Minnesota and St. Catherine University on an Open Self-Serve Library Feasibility Assessment project that seeks to explore this idea further. Click here for more information on this unique study.

Mid-Year Showcase Events

Students showcased their final projects throughout December and January at events held here in Scott County and on the UM campus. These events were opportunities for local staff, stakeholders and policy-makers to review and consider some of the innovative ideas or recommendations coming out of each semester-long research project. One poster session event focused on planning for Scott County's transportation renaissance and the future of autonomous and connected vehicles. Click here to learn more about this event.

UM RCP Student Fall Field Trips

This fall, several UM students conducted class site visits to Scott County to view the "lay of the land" before digging into their research topics. Students toured the CHS grain terminal at the Ports of Savage to consider how a multi-modal freight location (truck, barge, rail) could evolve over time with the introduction of autonomous trucks and vehicles. Another class toured the rolling farmland around Jordan to evaluate the impact perennial crops could have on the landscape. To learn more about the Diversifying Agricultural Land with Perennial Crops and Creating an Edible Landscape student projects, click here.

UM RCP at the Scott County Fair

In July, Scott County formally kicked off the partnership with the University of Minnesota at the county's biggest gathering - the County Fair. Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth to learn more about this unique program. Fair goers had an opportunity to complete an on-line survey around a handful of community resilience topics (click here to take this same survey).

Please bookmark this page and check back regularly over the next year to see important notices and information related to the Resilient Communities Project.

Questions and comments

Please send your questions or comments on the Resilient Communities Project via email, phone, or mail to the following: